Fence-gate.



PATBNTED DEG. 19, 1905.

G. J. BATZLER. FENCE GATE.

APPLICATION FILED Mum, 1905.

ANITE@ STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FENCE-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed March 24, 1905. Serial N0, 251,918.

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. BATZLER, residing in Center Township, in the county of Outagamie and State of Visconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fence-Gates, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved gate adapted especially to be used with and as a part of a fence, the gate itself being chiefly constructed of wire is very light in weight and strong and durable in structure and may be inexpensively made and has otherwise such valuable features as adapts it for use for a most desirable fence-gate.

The invention consists of the gate and related devices, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved gate mounted on and in connection with posts forming part of a fence. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the gate. Fig. 3 is a rear edge view of a fragment of the front end piece or upright of the gate. Fig. 4 is a detail of a securing and stretching hook, and Fig. 5 is a detail of a locking device for the winding-shaft or windless.

In the drawings, A and A are fence-posts in upright position, as is common in fences, and with which are shown fragments B B of wire fence-rails, indicating that the posts are employed in a wire fence.

My improved gate is most likely to be employed in connection with wire fences, though it may be employed with any other fence having upright posts.

In my improved gate the longitudinal bars or rails are to be made of wires 2 2, secured at ,their rear ends at distances apart to a rear end piece or upright 3, which is advisably of metal and preferably of a strap or bar of steel. For conveniently fastening the wires to this upright a series of holes 4 are made in the upright, and the ends of the wires being inserted through the holes are doubled around to the main wire and coiled about it, thereby fastening the wires to the upright. At the front end of the gate there is also an end piece or upright 5, which is advisably made of two straps or bars of steel placed near together and opposite each other, as shown best in Fig. 3, and between which the wires 2 2 pass and between and to which straps or bars the wires are held by clampingbolts 6, that pass transversely through the two straps or bars and draw them toward each other, clamping the wires firmly between them. The front ends of the wires may also be bent and turned around the bars or one of them, so as to strengthen the attachment of the wires to the upright. The wires 2, forming the longitudinal rails of the gate, may be in any desired number and are advisably so secured to the rear and the front uprights of the gate that when the gate is closedand is in taut condition the wires will be equidistant and parallel with each other.

At the rear end the gate is hinged to the post A', advisably by means of hinges consisting of a hook or pintle 7, inserted in the post and having upright pins, and a loop or brace member 8, which may consist of a strap of flat steel bent into U shape or loop form and secured to the upright 3 by having its legs placed against the outer side surfaces thereof and being riveted thereto by a transverse rivet,- the loop in each of these hinged members being located at the rear of the upright 3 and in alinement with each other, so as to be adapted concurrently to be placed on or lifted from the pins of the pintles 7.

The gate thus constructed and mounted is not only light in weight and strong and durable in its structure, but because of the rails being made of wire the gate is more or less pliable, and, in fact, thel gate when not stretched or held taut can be doubled upon itself or bent laterally, as may be desirable under certain conditions. As the rails of the gate are made of pliable or iiexible wire, it is desirable that the gate when closed should be stretched or held taut, so that the wire rails will not bend or buckle, and for this purpose yI provide means adapted to be detachably connected to the front upright 5 of the gate to stretch it when in its closed position and at the same time to secure it in the closed position. The means for thus stretching and sccuring the gate when in closed position consists of a vertically-disposed winding-shaft or windless 9, mounted and supported rotatably in brackets 10, fixed on the post A,Which winding-shaft is provided with means, preferably chains 11, each secured at one end to the shaft and adapted to wind about the shaft, and at the other end provided with a hook 12 IOO IOS

of suitable form and size to pass around the upright 5 at its rear edge and engage it so that by the winding up of the chains on the winding-shaft the Wire rails of the gate will be held taut in the manner shown in Fig. 1. To enable a person readily to rotate the windn ing-shaft 9 to wind up the chains 11, and thereby to stretch the gate, a detachable wrench 18 may be employed provided with an aperture fitting onto the upper squared or,

faced portion 14 of the shaft 9. To lock the shaft in position when the chains have been wound up and the gate is stretched, some convenient means is required that can be readily applied and as readily disengaged when it is desired to release the gate, and for this purpose I preferably employ a notched disk or toothed Wheel 15, fixed on the shaft 9 just above the upper bracket 10, and I provide a key 16 of a size and form adapted to engage a tooth of the wheel and the bracket l0 in an obstructing position, whereby the shaft is prevented from rotating in a direction that would permit the unwinding of the chains therefrom. To preserve this key in convenient relationship `to the devices to be locked thereby, I form the key onthe end of a plate or tang 17, the plate and key being of metal, and this plate is held in place against being lost or carried away by being secured to the post A, conveniently by a short chain 18,v

linked to the plate and secured to the post by a staple or similar means.

What I claim as my invention is# 1. A fence-gate, comprising a rear upright provided with hinge members at a distance apart, a front upright, a plurality of intermediate rail-wires secured at their respective ends to the front and the rear uprights, an upright winding-shaft in front of the front upright, and flexible devices secured to and Winding on said shaft and adapted to engage releasably the front u right substantially opposite the hinge mem ers on the rear upright.

2. A fence-gate, comprising a rear upright provided with hinge members, a front upright, a plurality of intermediate rail-wires secured at their respective ends to the uprights, a winding-shaft adapted to be mounted in fixed bearings in front of the front upright, short chains secured to and adapted to wind on the shaft, and means on the chains to. engage the front upright.

3. In a fence-gate, a gate-post, bracketbearings on the post, a shaft supported and rotatable in the bracket-bearings, means secured to the shaft adapted to take hold of a gate-upright and to be wound up by the rotation of the shaft, a rack-toothed wheel on the shaft, and a locking device adapted to engage the wheel and a bracket to prevent the rotation of the shaft to unwind the wound-up device.

4. In combination, a gate post, pintle hinge members thereon, a gate-upright, socketed hinge members thereon complementary to the pintle hinge members, a front upright, a plurality of wires secured to and stretched from one upright to the other upright, another gate-post, brackets on this gate-post having bearings therein, a winding shaft mounted in said bracket-bearings, chains secured to and winding on the shaft, hooks on the chains adapted to engage the front gateupright, means for rotating the shaft, and means for locking the shaft against rotation.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE J BATZLER.

Witnesses:

DENNIS WATERs, LoUis O. WIssMANN. 

